Clipless DH racing pedals!

[Aircorp]

What are some good models? Cambria bike has some Shimanos on sale for cheap the 03 DX ones, I forget the model name. Anyone delt with Cambria or have any other suggestions?

[Think Fast Hippie]

Shimano PD-M545 are awesome. I used those for about a year and had no troubles. I also had a set of the PD- M646 which I don't belive they make anymore I think the replacement is the PD-M647. Shimano makes a great clipless pedal.

[Think Fast Hippie]

http://bike.shimano.com/Footwear_Ped...dals/index.asp


Shimano on the web....

[Mountain Dewd]

I just got some sweet new time z's. i like them a lot but don't have a lot of time on them yet. The lateral float or whatever feels great for dh/fr cause you can move a little around but still get the extra power and stabilty.

[sanrensho]

I second the recommendation on the Shimano M636 pedals (same design as the grey M646 pedals except finished red). Mind you, I don't DH race, but the cage design worked much better for me on the Shore than the Shimano 424/545 design I used before that.

Some of the Cove boys raced last year on the Atac Z pedals. Much pricier than the Shimano pedals though.

[lockemiester]

I think I might try the crank bros out this year. Looks to have good grip when unclipped. I ran Wellgo's(Shimano clones) last year for a bit and they worked, but lacked grip out of the clips.

[Aircorp]

what about these?

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product.aspx?i=PE707A10

[treezz]

crank bros mallet, $139 and 4 sided clip in weeeeeeeeeee

[FullMonty]

If you're a real weight weenie, the M-454 has a resin cage, lighter than the M-545's aluminum cage. Over 100g lighter.

[willmtbike4food]

i just bought those 646's from jenson about a month ago. got them here about 10 days ago.

i made a thread about them. don't have pics up like i promised yet, but here's the thread:

http://bb.nsmb.com/newforum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32279

i've been very happy with them though (the thread #32279 is for real, just had to do that though :-P ). i haven't been able to ride them much - the temps here are currently fluctuating between 0 and 10 degrees fahrenheit...

i've been riding spd since this summer on my road bike, which is why i went with the shimanos, instead of the crank bros or times.

i don't like the look of the times' platform though - there doesn't seem to be much hope as far as riding clipped out is concerned, which ruled them out for me.


between the crank bros, and the shimanos, i chose the shimanos because they're cheaper, they're a reliable name, i have spare parts here at home, etc.


ALSO, the 646's are nice, because of the pop-up feature - you'll notice that the clips are 'sprung' upwards.... its SUPER easy to clip in, or at least has been so far. no muddy rides yet though, because of the temps. the egg-beaters don't do much (as far as i've observed) as far as ease of clipping in, aside from being 4-sided... just isn't quite as nice as the shimano system though.

[Nelson]

The Time Z
The Shimano ones (resin cage, aluminum cage, aluminum cage with replaceable plates)
The Mallet C

Those are pretty much your only options. The Mallet C would be pick of the bunch.

[UFO]

the shimano ones with the pop-up retention thing work well... BUT you have to make sure your shoes' tread does not interfere with the surrounding cage.

that is the drawback w/ platform clipless pedals, if they grip well when unclipped, odds are the platform will interfere somewhat with the ease of entry/exit.

[willmtbike4food]

i've found that my 661 launch shoes have been very good about not running into problems yet, as far as interferance between pedal cage and shoe. also haven't had problems with rubbing between my shoes and cranks (raceface north shore xs).

the cage on the 646's has teeth that cater towards the outward twisting of the heel, to assist disengagement. (kind of like our tires are ramped for rolling, but cut & dig for braking)


keep in mind, when riding with a full-size cage on your pedal, it isn't as necessary to keep the cleat directly underneath the ball of your foot - the support is spread throughout the sole of the shoe. at least thats teh case with my 661 launch's and shimano 646 pedals.


www.jensonusa.com has launch's for $45usd, so if you know what size launch to get, you oughta be in good shape. otherwise, if you already have shoes, see if you can borrow someone else's ride (or just pedals) for a bit, to see how compatible they are.



with a more open sole design, and hard rubber, as is the case with most shoes similar in sole design to these: http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product.aspx?i=SH707B01 you may run into problems with the pedal cage and the sole.

for what its worth, the 661 launch's and shimano 646's "fit" together nicely. i can't comment on any other combinations, at least for mtn riding.

[sanrensho]

Originally posted by UFO
the shimano ones with the pop-up retention thing work well... BUT you have to make sure your shoes' tread does not interfere with the surrounding cage.

I can confirm that this is nary an issue using the 636 (aka 646) pedals in combination with both the lower-end Shimano M038 shoes and mid-end M130 shoes.

Both these shoes have a rubber tread.